Seccumbing to Seduction
INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
PARASHAT BALAK
Succumbing to Seduction
By Rav
Zvi Shimon
I. A New Strategy
The Israelites' encampment on the plains of Moab arouses the trepidation
of the people of Moav. Balak, king
of Moav, resorts to calling on the services of the famous magician/prophet
Bil'am to curse the Israelites. This
desperate attempt at thwarting the invading Israelites backfires when God
transforms Bil'am's curse into a blessing: "How shall I curse, whom God has not
cursed? Or how shall I denounce whom
the Lord has not denounced?" (23:8).
The Israelites prove impervious to the witchcraft of Bil'am. "The Lord their God is with them"
(23:21). After this futile attempt
at overcoming the Israelite threat, the Moabites change their strategy. If curses do not work on Israel,
maybe a different approach will:
"Israel
abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the Moabite women
who invited the people to the sacrifices for their god. The people partook of them and bowed
down to their gods. Thus, Israel
attached itself to Ba'al-Pe'or and the Lord was incensed with Israel. The Lord said to Moses, 'Take all the
leaders of the people and hang them before the Lord against the sun, so that the
Lord's wrath may turn away from Israel.'
So Moses said to the judges of Israel, 'Each of you slay those of his men
who attached themselves to Ba'al-Pe'or.' ... Those who died of the plague
numbered twenty-four thousand" (Numbers 25:1-5,9).
"If you can't beat them, join them" or, in our case, make them join you. Cursing or battling the Israelites is
not a plausible option, so the Moabites attempt to assimilate the Israelites
into the Moabite people and the Moabite faith.
This is accomplished by setting a bait.
Moabite women succeed in enticing the Israelites into sexual
relationships which lead to shared religious worship of the Moabite god. The Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman,
Spain, 1194-1274) describes this change in strategy on the part of the Moabites
as follows:
"Balak at
first wanted to curse them [the Israelites] and to wage war against them, and he
did not want to give them permission to enter his borders at all. But when Bil'am told him that he
would not prevail over them ... then he [Balak] brought forth bread and wine in
the plains of Moav and enticed them [with the daughters of Moav] as if he were
their friend."
The ploy proves successful; the Israelites bite the bait and commit
harlotry with the Moabite women. The
people who were immune to the curses of Bil'am fall prey to the seductions of
the daughters of Moav. Bil'am, when
describing the mighty Israelite nation, relates that: "He [God] has not beheld
iniquity in Jacob nor has he seen perverseness in Israel, the Lord their God is
with them ... there is no divination in Israel" (23:21,23). Yet, after meeting the women of Moav,
we find both perverseness and idolatry in Israel!
The Israelites aren't as powerful as they were cut out to be; they have a
weakness, a gaping hole in their defenses.
Ironically, it is the Israelites themselves who bring about their
enfeeblement. In the words of Rabbi
Hirsch
(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch,
Germany, 1808-1888): "The sword of no stranger, the curse of no
stranger had the power to harm Israel; only Israel itself could bring
misfortune, by seceding from God and His Torah."
They fell prey to the seduction of the women of Moav and sinned against
God.
II. A Desecration of God's Name
There exist several possibilities in translating the opening verse of our
section, 'VA-YACHEL ha-am liznot' (25:1).
Certain editions translate "the people BEGAN to commit harlotry" while
others translate "the people PROFANED themselves by committing harlotry." This divergence in translation is
rooted in a disagreement amongst the commentators regarding the interpretation
of the Hebrew word 'va-yachel.' The
Targum Onkelus
(Aramaic translation,
Israel, 2nd century), is of the opinion that the root of the
word 'va-yachel' is 'TACHAL,' to begin.
Hence, he translates, "the people BEGAN to commit harlotry." According to this approach, our verse
highlights that the Israelites begin by committing harlotry and this only later,
leads to idolatry. The Bekhor Shor
(Rabbi Yosef Ben Yitzchak Bekhor Shor, France, 12 century) disagrees:
"'Va-yachel' - They became PROFANED to harlotry for whoever commits harlotry is
defiled. So too [in the verse] 'when
the daughter of a priest DEFILES herself through harlotry, it is her father whom
she defiles'" (Leviticus 21:9).
The Bekhor Shor deems the root of the word 'va-yachel' to be 'CHOL,'
profane: Hence, he would translate "the people PROFANED themselves by committing
harlotry." According to this
approach, the focus of our verse is not the order or chronology of events,
harlotry leading to idolatry. Rather, the
focus is on describing the outcome of sin, the resulting profanation and
defilement.
The Bekhor Shor cites a verse from Leviticus relating to the harlotry of
a priest's daughter in support of his interpretation. The verse in Leviticus includes the
word 'teCHEL liznot' which is interpreted as profaning or defiling. So too, in our verse, the word
'va-yachel' is interpreted as profaning.
This comparison between the harlotry of the people with the women of Moav
and the harlotry of a priest's daughter is instructive not only from a
lexicographic perspective. It also
sheds light on the gravity of the sin committed by the Israelites.
A sin of a priest's daughter is viewed as being particularly harsh. She comes from a distinguished family
and her behavior should reflect this.
Sinful behavior, on her part, does not only defile herself, "it is her
father whom she defiles." According
to the Bekhor Shor, the Torah uses the same verb to describe defilement of a
priest's daughter and the profanation of the Israelites through their harlotry
with the Moabites. Although the
priestly family has additional commandments, more stringent than the rest of the
nation, the people, as a whole, also have a distinguished mission and status. They are to be a "NATION OF PRIESTS,
a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). Just
as a priest's daughter represents her father's house, so too, the people of
Israel, represent God. The nation
selected to be a holy nation, the people of God, stoop to the most base
animal-like behavior. The holy was
desecrated in the most vulgar of manners, in wanton and lustful behavior and a
total loss of self-control. The
Israelites' conduct was the antithesis of holiness, of the life prescribed by
the Torah. They not only defiled
themselves; it was also a horrible desecration of God's name.
III. The Roots of Sin
How did the holy nation deteriorate to such licentious promiscuity? Our Sages offer the following comment
on the opening words of our section, "And Israel ABODE in Shittim:"
"Wherever
you find the expression 'to sit,' ('yeshiva'-translated 'abode'), you will find
that some great wrongdoing occurred there ... 'And Israel abode ('va-yeshev') in
Shittim.' What was the wrongdoing
there? 'And the people began to
commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav'" (Exodus Rabba 41:7).
The Torah preempts the account of the harlotry with the daughters of Moav
with the designation, "And Israel ABODE in Shittim." Our Sages point out the
negative connotation of the verb 'yashav'- 'to sit', or as translated in our
verse, 'abode.' This verb, to sit,
usually anticipates wrongdoing. What
is the connection between sitting and sin?
Although our Sages do not elaborate, their intention is clear. Sitting signifies a cessation of
progress, an arrest in the march forward.
The Netziv (Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, Lithuania, 1817-1893)
comments that this sitting was not only a stop in the people's physical advance,
but indicates, primarily, a slackness and lethargy in the spiritual sphere, in
the study of Torah. As long as the
Israelites were diligent in their study of the Torah, they were safe from sin. However, after neglecting Torah their
spiritual state declined and they succumbed to temptations. To sit, to halt one's growth and
development inevitably terminates in regression.
When one stands still, he is actually degenerating. There is no such thing as spiritual
inertia. One is either advancing or
regressing. As the Israelites
"abode" in Shittim, as they halted there, they immediately began a moral
degeneration.
IV. Intermarriage and Idolatry
The episode with the daughters of Moav involved two sins. It involved harlotry, a
disintegration into animal-like behavior and free license to physical drives. This, in turn, leads to a second sin,
idolatry, a direct rebellion against God: "the people began to commit harlotry
with the Moabite women, who invited the people to the sacrifices for their god. The people partook of them and bowed
down to their gods. Thus, Israel
attached itself to Ba'al-Pe'or, and the Lord was incensed with Israel."
It is clear from Scripture that
the sins are interrelated. One sin
leads to the other. What requires
clarification is the exact relationship between the sins. If the Israelites succumbed to their
physical urges and fell prey to the seduction of the Moabite women, what led
them to become involved in idolatry?
After witnessing all the miracles in the desert, they surely knew better! Rashi, citing our Sages, offers the
following explanation:
"When [an
Israelite's] urge was at its strongest and he would say [to the Moabite woman]
"consent to me" she would bring forth for him an image of the [pagan god] Pe'or
and say to him "[first] bow down to this."
The Moabite women caught the Israelites at the peak of their desires and
then convinced them to worship their god.
The Israelite's lust overcame him to the point of excluding rational
functioning. He would do anything to
fulfill his sexual urges, even commit idolatry.
The Seforno
(Rabbi Ovadia Seforno, Italy, 1470-1550) further elaborates
this position:
"'And the
people began to commit harlotry' (25:1) - At the beginning, they did not worship
idols at all but [their sole intent was to] commit harlotry; however, they were
led to idolatry as the Torah cautioned when it prohibited intermarriage with the
nations, as it says, 'you will eat of their sacrifices. And when you take wives from among
their daughters ... their daughters will lust after their gods and will cause
your sons to lust after their gods' (Exodus 34:15,16) ... For this is the way of
the evil inclination, to lead one from evil to evil."
The Torah forbids the Israelites from intermarrying with the women of the
surrounding nations. The reason for
this prohibition is explicitly stated, "You must not make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land, for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to
their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices. And when you take wives from among
their daughters for your sons, their daughters will lust after their gods and
will cause your sons to lust after their gods" (Exodus 34:15,16). Scripture foreshadows that the taking
of foreign wives will inevitably lead to the adoption of different cultures and
alien beliefs. The Israelite will
claim that he is not turning his back on his faith, that he and his new wife
will remain loyal to God and His Torah.
However, in short time, the Israelite is worshipping with his new wife a
new god, celebrating different festivals and adopting a new lifestyle. It is not long before the
intermarried Jew 'has a Christmas tree and escorts his wife to church.' This may not be his original
intention, but the Torah warns us that this is what is likely to happen.
Our Sages offer a detailed description of this process of assimilation:
"They
made booths for themselves and placed in them harlots in whose hands were all
manner of desirable objects. An old
woman would sit outside and keep watch for the girl who was inside the shop. When the Israelites passed by to
purchase an article in the bazaar, the old woman would say to him: 'Young man! Would you not like some linen
clothing that comes from Beth-Shean?'
She would show it to him and say: 'Go inside and you will see some lovely
articles!' The old woman would ask
him for a higher price and the girl for a lower.
After this the girl would say to him: 'You are now like one of the
family! Sit down, and choose
whatever you desire yourself!' A
flask of wine stood by her, and as yet the wine of heathens had not been
forbidden. A young woman would come
out adorned and perfumed and would entice him, saying: 'Why is it that though we
love you, you hate us? Take this
article for nothing! Are we not all
the children of one man? The
children of Terach the father of Abraham?
If you do not wish to eat of our sacrifices and of our cooking, behold,
we have calves and cocks! Slaughter
them in accordance with your own precepts and eat!' Thereupon she would make him drink
the wine and the Satan would burn within him and he would be led astray after
her; for it says, 'Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the heart' (Hosea
4:11). ...
Once the
Israelite solicited her she would say to him: 'I will not listen to you until
you slaughter this animal to Pe'or and bow down to the idol.' He would object: 'I will not bow down
to idols!' She would answer him:
'You will only appear as though you were worshipping!' And so he would be led astray after
her and do as he was bidden" (Midrash Rabba 2:23).
Our Sages describe the stages of the Israelites' sin in a vivid and
penetrating manner. The meeting
between peoples first takes place in the marketplace. Economic activity creates
opportunities for interaction. The
gentile saleswoman or business executive is charming and well dressed - a
pleasure doing business with her.
Business soon mixes with pleasure.
Economic ties develop into social ones.
The cold pragmatic world of economic transactions gives way to a cozier,
more amicable environment. A little
red wine is most suitable upon closing a deal.
'Business dinners' in fine restaurants create an excellent environment. The rest of the story, we know too
well. The Torah, in its wisdom, sets
social barriers to prevent the transpiration described by our Sages. It is forbidden to eat non-kosher
foods. The wine of the gentiles was
also forbidden. The necessity of
these laws becomes apparent when we read of the rapid deterioration and
assimilation of the Israelites upon coming into contact with the women of Moav.
V. In the Public Eye
The sin with Moav involved large segments of the nation. The plague which killed twenty-four
thousand Israelites (see 25:9) in retribution for their transgressions testifies
to the pervasiveness of the sinning in the Israelite camp. Our Sages describe the spread of the
sin amongst the people as follows:
"Thus,
Israel attached ('va-yeTZAMED') itself to Ba'al-Pe'or" (25:3) - 'At first they
entered unobtrusively, but in the end they came in jointly ('TZEMED') in
pairs.'"
At first, people were ashamed of exhibiting such disreputable behavior
publicly. However, as more and more
people joined, the sinners were no longer ashamed. They sinned publicly, in a 'tzemed,'
in pairs, and no longer attempted to hide their decadence.
This may help explain the peculiar manner of punishment prescribed by
God: "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before the Lord against
the sun" (25:4). The outstanding
aspect of this punishment is its public nature, "before the Lord against the
sun." The Seforno explains this as
follows:
"'Against
the sun' (25:4) - So that the people will see the execution of those who
worshipped the idols and they will not protest and thus they will find atonement
for not protesting against these sinners."
Punishment was to be carried out "against the sun" in full sight of all
the nation. A public sin required a
public punishment. The only way to
repair the damage incurred by the massive scale sinning of the community was to
administer a public punishment.
The Torah
also stresses that the punishment must take place "before the Lord." This specification may be explained
in light of the nature of the sin.
We stated earlier that the Israelites' decadent behavior involved not only their
own defilement, but also a horrible desecration of God's name. Hence, the punishment also serves as
a correction for this desecration.
The public hanging is carried out "before the Lord" as a reparation for the
desecration of His name.
The verse describing the punishment prescribed by God is obscure: "Take
all the leaders of the people and hang them before the Lord against the sun"
(25:4). Who was to be hanged? There is a disagreement amongst our
Sages on this matter:
"Rabbi
Judah says: He hanged the leaders of the people because they did not admonish
the people. Rabbi Nechemia says: He
did not hang the leaders of the people.
God says to Moses: 'Appoint for them judges who shall judge all those who
worshipped Pe'or.'"
According to the second opinion, that of Rabbi Nechemia, God commanded
Moses to assemble the leaders of the nation to judge the sinners and punish
them. Rabbi Nechemia interprets the
verse "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them" as relating to the
sinners: "Hang THEM" - the sinners.
The leaders must help Moses carry out justice.
The leaders' involvement in the punishment of the sinners makes amends
for the nation as a whole. By
judging and punishing the sinners, the leaders disassociate themselves from the
offenders and make a public statement condemning their behavior. Since so many of the nation were
involved in the sin, it was necessary to firmly establish through the
involvement of the leaders, public opposition and condemnation of the licentious
behavior of the perpetrators.
The first opinion, that of Rabbi Judah, states that the leaders,
themselves, were to be hung! Rabbi
Judah interprets the pronoun "them" in reference to the leaders stated in the
beginning of the verse: "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them" -
hang the leaders. Why should the
leaders be punished if they were not involved in the sin? Rabbi Judah explains that they are
deserving of punishment since they did not protest and reprove the sinners. The Torah commands us: "You must
admonish your neighbor and not bear sin because of him" (Leviticus 19:17). It is every Jew's responsibility to
reprove his fellow Jew and prevent him from sinning. We may not turn a blind eye to
others' sins. It is our obligation
to at least attempt to prevent misconduct and wrongdoing. This obligation rests upon every
individual, and, all the more so, on the leaders of the nation. The Torah holds he who does not
attempt to dissuade his fellow human being from sinning as partly responsible
for the sin. The innocent bystander
is not so innocent; he sins as well.
In contrast to the modern ethos which stresses only individual responsibility,
'to each his own,' the Torah stresses that there is also communal
responsibility. The leaders who are
charged with guiding the people failed in their calling; they did not attempt to
prevent the Israelites from sinning.
According to Rabbi Judah, this made them personally responsible for the sin, and
consequently, deserving of punishment.
VI. Guarding Against Assimilation
It is both interesting and instructive to note that our Sages choose to
bring the following homiletic interpretation specifically in conjunction with
our portion:
"Our
Rabbis taught: Israel were redeemed from Egypt by reason of the merit of four
acts. They did not change their
names, they did not change their language, they did not disclose their secrets
and they did not break loose in unchastity."
How is this source connected to the sin of the Israelites with the
Moabite women? How are the merits of
the Israelites in Egypt connected to their sins on the plains of Moav? According to our Sages, the
Israelites merited being redeemed from Egyptian slavery for four reasons. The first two merits of the people
clearly deal with guarding their Jewish identity.
They did not adopt gentile Egyptian names but kept to their unique Hebrew
appellations. Moshe and Yaakov did
not give way to Marc and Jack. In
addition, they did not begin to speak the language of their host country, but
continued speaking Hebrew amongst themselves.
The third merit, not revealing secrets, relates to national solidarity
and loyalty to one's people. They
did not endanger their fellow Israelites by revealing dangerous information. What of the fourth merit, sexual
chastity? How is it connected to the
previous three, to the idea of Jewish identity and solidarity? The placement of this source of our
Sages with the sin of harlotry with the daughters of Moav, provides us with our
answer. The sin with the women of
Moav demonstrates the link between unchastity and assimilation, or if you will,
between chastity and Jewish identity.
Intermingling with the Moabite women immediately triggered a process of
assimilation, of a loss of Jewish identity.
Jewish chastity guarded against the Israelites' assimilation into
Egyptian culture and promised their eventual salvation. As they approach the borders of the
promised land, they once again face a similar threat of intermarrying and
assimilating into the culture of the indigenous population. In contrast to the experience in
Egypt, the encounter with the Moabites is an abysmal failure. "I found Israel [as pleasing] as
grapes in the wilderness ... but when they came to 'Ba'al-Pe'or' they turned
aside to shamefulness" (Hosea 9:10).
The sin of the Israelites with the women of Moav remains a warning for future
generations of the terrible consequences of intermarriage.